GCSE results

The proportion of GCSE A* to C grades has risen by two percentage points to 61.2 per cent, the biggest rise since 1992.

Thursday's results also showed that in maths the proportion of top A* to C grades was up by 1.7 points to 53.4 per cent.

And in English the proportion rose from 59.9 per cent to 60.9 per cent.

 

Government Response: DfES

 

Schools minister Jacqui Smith said: "Today’s results are further evidence of rising standards in our education system and this is a clear reflection of the hard work of our young people and their teachers. I congratulate them on their achievements – they should take pride in these results.

 

"I particularly welcome the continuing progress we are making in ensuring more of our young people are achieving highly in the core subjects of English and mathematics – the bedrock of every child’s education.

 

"Increased entries in GCSEs in vocational subjects show that pupils are responding positively to the choice and opportunities we are offering them from 14.

 

"These qualifications are supported by employers and will form the building blocks of the new specialised diplomas announced in the 14 to 19 white paper.

 

"All young people need a firm foundation in the basics - no matter what their choices are at GCSE - to ensure they have the skills needed to progress and succeed in further learning, employment and life - and that means English and maths.

 

"That's why we are reforming performance tables next year so that they will show the proportion of young people who achieve good GCSEs in English and maths."

 

Jacqui Smith added: "The A* to C pass rate in French and German has greatly improved by around seven percentage points in each subject and reflects that those entering these exams, although fewer in number, are dedicated language learners.

 

"We are committed to increasing the take-up of languages at all levels. We know that the best way to develop a love of language learning is to start early.

 

"That’s why every primary school child will be offered the opportunity to learn a language by 2010. Early indications show that over 40 per cent of schools are already offering modern foreign languages to seven to 11-year-olds.

 

"I am particularly pleased that early indications show that the majority of [city] academies are showing good progress, for example the CityAcademy, Bristol and ManchesterAcademy." 

 

 

Party Response: Conservatives

 

David Cameron, shadow secretary of state for education, said: "The first thing to do today is congratulate all those who have worked so hard for their grades. Their achievements shouldn't be undermined.

 

"My view is that we should keep GCSEs and A-levels - and make the system work better.  Scrapping these exams altogether, as some suggest, would simply lead to unnecessary upheaval, undermine confidence in the system and be abused by the those who back an 'all must have prizes' mentality.

 

"Long term success will be achieved by a focus on the basics, rigour in exam standards and transparency for results.

 

"I would like to see three steps taken; first, an even sharper focus on literacy and numeracy, particularly in primary schools.

 

"Second, we need to reform the QCA, making it a true guardian of rigour and independent from the government.

 

"Third, we need to ensure that people can have confidence in league tables by ending the bizarre situation where one GNVQ counts as four GCSEs. GNVQs are important qualifications, but the current system encourages some schools to push children into them in order to achieve government targets. This is wrong."

 

 

Party Response: Liberal Democrats

 

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Edward Davey said: "Students and their teachers should be congratulated for all their hard work.

 

"However the government must be held to account over a system where such a high proportion of exams are failed.

 

"What the past two weeks should have made obvious is that we can't look at GCSEs and A-levels separately - the debate needs to be about the big picture of secondary education.

 

"A diploma would stretch our brightest, extend greater choice to pupils and end the vocational-academic divide.

 

"It is the government's job to ensure that the education system equips all our young people with the skills and qualifications they need for success in adult life. When businesses, universities and teachers all back diplomas, Labour's failure to act is a scandal." 

 

 

Party Response: Plaid Cymru

 

Education spokesman Janet Ryder said: "I'd like to congratulate the students throughout Wales who are getting their GCSE and Baccalaureate results today. Their success is testament both to their own hard work and to the dedication of their teachers.

 

"Although the proportion of students attaining A* to C grades has risen slightly, and that is to be welcomed, it is worrying to see that Wales' pass rate is lower this year than the UK average. We will need to look at that falling pass rate in more detail to ascertain the reasons why.

 

"The results of the Welsh Baccalaureate Intermediate Diploma raise some questions. Only half of the students who completed the programme were awarded the full intermediate diploma, and these results combined with last week's results of the advanced Bacc are showing signs of a worrying trend.

 

"When creating the Welsh Bacc, the New Labour government chose not to look at the International Baccalaureate and adapt it according to Wales' needs, but instead chose to create a new qualification. They have a duty now to review the qualification and the situation."

 

 

Stakeholder Response: Institute of Education

 

 

A spokesman for the Institute of Education said: "In our view there are two main stories behind GCSE grade improvements: on the one hand the hard work by learners and focused teaching by teachers; on the other, an excessive focus on examinations, which takes attention away both from the basics and the wider knowledge and skills required for adult life. 

 

"Learning simply how to pass examinations does not equip young people for either further study or working life. The proposed Tomlinson diploma system would secure the skills for the future while also encouraging young people to stay on to follow a broad and relevant curriculum experience."

 

 

Stakeholder Response: Institution of Directors

 

 

Richard Wilson, head of business policy at the IoD, said: "We have been told by 95 per cent of our members that the government's key priority for education should be to improve standards in English and maths.

 

"Today's GCSEs results show that we still have much further to go: only about 52 per cent of pupils achieved a grade C or above in mathematics and only about 60 per cent secured a grade C or above in English.

 

"We need to ensure that more pupils leave school with good GCSE results in these two key subject areas, otherwise further progression in education and training is difficult."  

 

 

Stakeholder Response: CILT, the national centre for languages

 

 

Isabella Moore, director of CILT, told ePolitix.com: "The 12 per cent decline in GCSE entries for languages this year is disappointing but not unexpected. It shows there is a huge case still to be made for the value of language learning for all pupils.

 

"Language learning has a unique contribution to make to intellectual and social development. It enhances employability and life chances across the board.

 

"Language learning contributes to literacy and citizenship, teaches intercultural awareness, builds knowledge of other cultures and improves communicative competence.

 

"Ofsted's recent report shows that where schools are committed to preventing languages becoming an elitist subject it can be a successful experience for pupils of all abilities and backgrounds.

 

"We wholeheartedly support Ofsted's call to schools to offer a wider range of language courses and accreditation and to enable larger numbers of pupils to study two languages in Key Stage Four.

 

"We would like to see more heads and governors proactively supporting the development of language provision within the new entitlement curriculum.

 

"There are opportunities to offer stimulating courses linked to vocational pathways as well as more challenging routes for able pupils.  

 

"CILT's work is actively supporting these developments through training, advice and information-provision.

 

"This autumn, with the Association for Language Learning, we are publishing a book on 'Making the case for languages in Key Stage Four' to help heads of languages present convincing arguments and boost the place of languages within the school."

 

 

Stakeholder Response: SHA

 

 

SHA general secretary Dr John Dunford said: "GCSE entries for modern languages in 2006 will be even worse. 

 

"Numbers are in free fall and we shall lose a generation of linguists in the nine years between now and the time when pupils learning languages in primary schools take their GCSEs.

 

"The government needs to carry out an urgent review of its languages policy.

 

"GCSE is not the right examination for many students in languages. The new languages ladder, a much more flexible qualification should be used more extensively and should count towards the league tables.  

 

"Critically, the drop in numbers means that secondary schools are now employing fewer modern languages teachers, so it will be very hard to reverse the trend.  We have almost reached the point of no return.

 

"The spiral of decline in entries to modern languages is caused by the subjects being perceived as hard GCSEs.It is mainly less academically able students who are giving up languages, which could have opened up many extra job opportunities for them in the future.

 

"Languages are still compulsory in most independent schools, so an independent/state school divide has opened up in languages."

 

 

Stakeholder Response: NASUWT

 

 

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: "These results demonstrate the steady and sustained progress being achieved by youngsters. All involved, pupils and teachers, should be congratulated.

 

"We should not allow their success to be overshadowed by the serial detractors of educational achievement.  

 

"Having run out of steam on erroneous claims that exams are getting easier and attempting to use the problems with markers of the seemingly accident-prone Edexcel to undermine the achievements of our youngsters, it was inevitable that the claim that pupils are passing exams without basic literacy and numeracy skills would rear its head.   

 

"Business leaders never disappoint on that score. They are some of the most practised serial detractors and have predictably joined the fray. Their annual condemnation is as tiresome as it is inaccurate."